Collective control system for a rotorcraft

ABSTRACT

The control system for attachment to a collective lever in a rotorcraft which comprises a body with an extended horn portion which is generally contoured to provide for a place to rest the palm and grip the collective lever at the end in the form of an open spherical grip as opposed to the more traditional cylindrical grip used to grasp the throttle and/or collective lever directly. The control system generally includes a plurality of controls which can be manipulated by any or all of the four fingers of the hand and the thumb without need to substantially move the palm. The collective lever can also be moved without having to remove the hand from the control system or the fingers or thumb from the controls.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/725,019, filed Aug. 30, 2018, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure is related to the field of control devices, and morespecifically to a control system which can be placed on the end of thecollective pitch control of a rotorcraft.

2. Description of Related Art

The flight control system of most aircraft is quite a bit different fromthat of a ground based vehicle. The reason is immediately apparent, anaircraft operates in a three dimensional space, while a ground basedvehicle such as a car, truck, or boat typically only operates in a twodimensional space as it needs to remain in contact with the ground.Another issue is that the movement of an aircraft often requiresmultiple interactions at once because a change to one action causes aneed to counteract part of the motion with another.

One of the places where this is bluntly shown is in piloting arotorcraft. A rotorcraft is effectively a flying wing with a cabin alongfor the ride. In effect, a rotorcraft pilot is adjusting how the wing ismoving through the air through the various controls in order to directthe wing, and thus the rotorcraft, where s/he wants it to go. Thismotion is as opposed to a fixed wing aircraft where the wing is “fixed”to the cabin and control is more directed to how the air is moving overthe wing. Basically, in a rotorcraft, the primary engine moves the wingwhile in a fixed wing aircraft the primary engine moves the air.

It has been said that one of the most difficult abilities to learn ishow to hover a rotorcraft. The reason is because hovering (holding stillin the air) requires essentially a constant selection of smalladjustments to counter the effect of other small adjustments. This isalso true in an automobile or boat to a lesser extent, but it isdramatically exaggerated in a rotorcraft.

Rotorcraft essentially have three controls, the cyclic stick, thecollective lever, and the anti-torque pedals. What the controls do isrelatively straightforward even if putting them into practice is verycomplicated. The collective lever is effectively a large lever which canbe pulled up and down and which controls the pitch of the rotor blades“collectively.” As the rotors are effectively one big wing movingthrough the air, this effectively controls the vertical movement of therotorcraft. Increasing the pitch causes the rotors to push more air andmove the rotorcraft upward while decreasing it causes them to cutthrough the air as opposed to direct it downward. As the rotorcraft hasa mass from it's engine and other components, the force of the air beingpushed downward needs to be greater than the mass of the rotorcraft tomove it upward. If it is less, the mass of the rotorcraft under gravitywill pull the rotorcraft toward the earth.

The speed at which the rotors are turning also effects this as fasterturning blades will also cause the blades to move more air (at allpitches) than slower turning blades. However, changes to the pitch andthe throttle have to be tied together. As the pitch increases, theblades face more drag and will slow down unless the throttle isincreased. While many modern rotorcraft compensate for thisautomatically, it was originally done manually and the throttle controlis typically located on the collective lever for this reason. Thethrottle is typically a rotating handgrip which increases or decreasesthe engine speed. In this way a pilot can utilize the collective leverand throttle together.

The cyclic basically serves to tilt the rotor “wing” in the directionone wants the rotorcraft to move. In reality, it does not really tiltthe entire system, it instead tilts the individual rotors “cyclically”so that they are at a different pitch at different parts of therotation, but each rotor at the same location is at the same pitch. Thischange serves to cause the wing to move away from the position of higherpitch and toward the position of lower pitch.

The anti-torque pedals operate to keep the body of the rotorcraft fromrotating in the direction opposite the rotation of the rotors. Theycontrol the pitch of the rotors on the tail (in a traditional helicopterwith a single main blade) to increase or decrease the force applied tothe helicopter. This is used to counteract the force of rotationimparted on the rotorcraft from the rotating main rotors, but increasingor decreasing it can cause the rotorcraft to rotate in place in eitherdirection.

When flying a rotorcraft, the pilot will typically have one hand on thecollective lever and one on the cyclic. In this way, the pilot can bemaking slight (and often near constant) adjustments to both parts of therotor motion. This allows the rotorcraft to fly straight and smooth. Theanti-torque pedals, as their name implies, are typically operated withthe feet.

In addition to flying the rotorcraft, the pilot also needs to haveaccess to auxiliary controls on the rotorcraft. This can includeeverything from lighting controls, to controls over payloads, tocontrols for displays, to the operation of weapon systems on militaryrotorcraft. Many of these controls are located on the panels in front ofthe pilot or above their head where they are readily accessible.However, because the pilot typically has one hand on each of thecollective lever and cyclic, and the feet on the anti-torque pedalswhile airborne, a pilot typically has to take a hand off one of thesecontrol elements to operate any controls which are on a panel in frontor overhead. Thus, these places are often the site of controls used whenthe rotorcraft is on the ground and there is no need for the pilot to beholding onto the collective lever and cyclic.

Auxiliary controls which are needed in flight are often located on boxesor “control systems” which are attached to the cyclic or collectivelevers, usually at the top near or at where the hands are positioned toallow for the buttons to be operated without needing to remove the handfrom the respective control. In this way, the buttons can be readilyadjusted or operated by the user while maintaining full flight controls.Buttons and controls on the cyclic are often positioned on the controlsystem facing upward from the top of the handgrip where they can beoperated by the thumb, or to one side or the front of the handgrip (a socalled “pistol grip”) where they can be manipulated by the fingerswithout removing the hand from the grip.

The control system on the collective lever, because the hand ispositioned similarly around the collective lever to grasp the throttle,are typically positioned as part of a flat panel at the end of thecollective lever facing upward toward the user. These can be operated bythe thumb without the need to move the hand or fully release the grip onthe throttle and collective lever. FIG. 1 shows an example of thecollective lever (1) and associated control system (3) and controls (4)thereon from a UH-1H/V Army rotorcraft illustrating how the controls (4)may be typically arranged. The grip (5) is the throttle.

The problem with the arrangement of controls (4) on the control system(3) of FIG. 1 is that it is very dependent on actions being performed bythe thumb and the thumb is generally the only digit with ready access tothe controls (4) without the hand being removed from the throttle (5)and, thus, the collective lever (1). Originally (or in what are commonlycalled “true” rotorcraft), this was a necessary component of the designas movement of the collective lever (1) and adjustment of the throttlegrip (5) would need to occur simultaneously in essentially all cases.

In more modern rotorcraft, however, it is common for a throttle controlor governor to be installed on the motor which provides for an automaticfeedback loop between the collective lever (1) position and the motoritself. Specifically, an adjustment of the collective lever (1) often nolonger requires a corresponding manual adjustment to the throttle grip(5) as this change is performed automatically by a governor on the motorbased on a feedback loop. This allows for a pilot to adjust thecollective lever (1) without the need to adjust the throttle (5).However, the hand has still not been freed up from its positioning onthe collective lever (1) and controls on the collective lever (1) havestill generally operated by the thumb to maintain the positioning of thehand on the collective lever (I).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Because of these and other problems in the art, described herein, amongother things, is a control system which is designed to be attached to acollective lever (1) in a rotorcraft which sits at or toward the end ofthe collective lever and serves as a grip as well as a support forcontrols. The control system comprises a body with an extended hornportion which is generally contoured to provide for a place to rest thepalm and grip the collective lever at the end in the form of an openspherical grip as opposed to the more traditional cylindrical grip usedto grasp the throttle (5) and/or collective lever (1). The controlsystem generally includes a plurality of controls, such as buttons,switches, touch sensors, and the like which can be manipulated by any orall of the four fingers of the hand and the thumb without need tosubstantially move the palm. The collective lever (1) can also be movedwithout having to remove the hand from the control system or the fingersfrom the controls.

There is described herein, among other things, a control system forattachment to the collective lever of a rotorcraft, the control systemcomprising: a generally planar lower surface for attachment to an end ofa collective lever; a main body having a generally convex form; a hornportion extending from a side of said main body; and a plurality ofcontrols, wherein at least one control in said plurality is arranged onsaid main body and at least one control in said plurality is arranged onsaid horn portion; wherein, said control system is configured to begrasped in an open spherical grip by a human hand with the fingers ofsaid human hand on said main body and the thumb of said human hand onsaid horn portion; and wherein said control system is configured forsaid human hand grasping said control system to move said collectivelever without removing said fingers of said human hand from said mainbody and said thumb of said human hand from said horn portion.

There is also described herein, a collective lever and control system ofa rotorcraft comprising: a collective lever having two opposing ends; acontrol system attached to one of said two opposing ends of saidcollective lever, said control system comprising: a main body having agenerally convex form; a horn portion extending from a side of said mainbody; and a plurality of controls, wherein at least one control in saidplurality is arranged on said main body and at least one control in saidplurality is arranged on said horn portion; wherein, said control systemis configured to be grasped in an open spherical grip by a human handwith the fingers of said human hand on said main body and the thumb ofsaid human hand on said horn portion; and wherein said human handgrasping said control system moves said collective lever withoutremoving said fingers of said human hand from said main body and saidthumb of said human hand from said horn portion.

In an embodiment of the control system, the main body is generallysquircle in cross section.

In an embodiment of the control system, the main body is generallyrectilinear in cross section.

In an embodiment of the control system, the horn portion is generallymushroom-shaped including an extension portion and a distinct supportportion.

In an embodiment of the control system, the horn portion is an extensionof said main body.

In an embodiment of the control system, the horn portion overhangs saidmain body on at least one side.

In an embodiment of the control system, when the human hand grasps saidcontrol system at least one of said fingers of said human hand ispositioned on said control on said main body and said thumb of saidhuman hand is positioned on said control on said horn portion.

In an embodiment of the control system, the thumb of said human hand maybe moved from said horn portion to operate an additional control on saidmain body.

There is also described herein a method of operating a collective leverand control system of a rotorcraft comprising: providing a collectivelever having two opposing ends; providing a control system attached toone of said two opposing ends of said collective lever, said controlsystem comprising: a main body having a generally convex form; a hornportion extending from a side of said main body; and a plurality ofcontrols, wherein at least one control in said plurality is arranged onsaid main body and at least one control in said plurality is arranged onsaid horn portion; grasping said control system so that fingers are onsaid main body and a thumb on said horn portion; pulling said collectivelever without removing said fingers from said main body; moving saidthumb from said horn portion to said main body; and operating saidplurality of controls with at least one of said fingers and said thumbwithout removing said fingers from said main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a view of a collective control system positioned on acollective lever of the prior art, specifically the collective controlsystem and collective lever from a US Army model UH-1H/V helicopter.

FIG. 2 provides a back and right perspective view of an embodiment of acontrol system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 provides a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 provides a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 provides a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 provides a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 provides a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 provides a first right side view of the embodiment FIG. 2 with ahuman hand gripping the collective control system in an open sphericalgrip. In FIG. 9, the thumb is positioned on a first control on the hornportion of the body.

FIG. 10 provides a second right side view of the embodiment FIG. 9. InFIG. 10, the thumb is positioned on a second control on the horn portionof the body.

FIG. 11 provides a third right side view of the embodiment FIG. 9. InFIG. 11, the thumb is positioned on a first control on the main portionof the body.

FIG. 12 provides a fourth right side view of the embodiment FIG. 9. InFIG. 12, the thumb is positioned on a second control on the main portionof the body.

FIG. 13 provides a first front view of the embodiment FIG. 9. In FIG.13, the fingers are positioned on a first selection of controls whichare on both the main portion and horn portion of the body.

FIG. 14 provides a second front view of the embodiment FIG. 9. In FIG.14, the fingers are positioned on a second selection of controls whichare on only the main portion of the body.

FIG. 15 provides a back and right perspective view of a secondembodiment of a control system of the present invention.

FIG. 16 provides a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 provides a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 provides a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 provides a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 15.

FIG. 20 provides a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 15.

FIG. 21 provides a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 15.

FIG. 22 provides a front and left perspective view of a third embodimentof a control system of the present invention.

FIG. 23 provides a front and right perspective view of the embodiment ofFIG. 22.

FIG. 24 provides a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 provides a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 22.

FIG. 26 provides a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 22.

FIG. 27 provides a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 22.

FIG. 28 provides a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 22.

FIG. 29 provides a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 22.

FIG. 30 provides a front and left perspective view of a secondembodiment of a control system of the present invention.

FIG. 31 provides a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 30.

FIG. 32 provides a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 30.

FIG. 33 provides a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 30.

FIG. 34 provides a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 30.

FIG. 35 provides a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 30.

FIG. 36 provides a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 30.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The following detailed description and disclosure illustrates by way ofexample and not by way of limitation. This description will enable oneskilled in the art to make and use the disclosed structures and methods,and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternativesand uses of the disclosed structures and methods. As various changescould be made in the above constructions without departing from thescope of the disclosures, it is intended that all matter contained inthe description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The control systems discussed herein provide for generally newstructures, systems, and methods for both providing controls on acollective lever (1) of a rotorcraft as well as a new methodology andstructure for manipulating the collective pitch of the rotors.Traditionally, as discussed above, the collective lever (1) hascomprised a simple generally cylindrical shaft with a twist handle (5)(for controlling the throttle) arranged around a portion of a first end.A pilot has traditionally grasped the twist handle (5) in what is oftenreferred to as a cylindrical grip or power grip. This is placing thepalm against the exterior of the twist handle (5) and wrapping thefingers around the handle (5) a first direction and the thumb around thehandle (5) in the other. The thumb will generally touch the index fingerand/or middle finger so that the shaft of the collective lever runsacross the hand and through the circle formed by the thumb andindex/middle finger.

The power or cylindrical grip is a very common grip used by humans intool manipulation and is appropriate for operation of the collectivelever (I) as it allows a user to have a very rigid and solid grasp ofthe twist handle (5) and, thus, the collective lever (1). It also allowsthe user to pull on the collective lever (1) utilizing their arm muscles(as opposed to those of their fingers). The fingers, instead, are simplyused to connect the arm muscle to the collective lever (1), the wrappingposition of the fingers supporting the collective lever (1) through theuse of their internal bone structure with the strength of the fingersbeing used simply to keep their relative position.

Because of the position of the collective lever (1) at the (generallyleft) side of the pilot, the left hand is typically used to grasp thecollective lever (1) with the hand held generally downward. Thus, thefingers are used to push against the lever arm when the collective lever(1) is pulled upward, while the thumb is used to push against thecollective lever (I) as it is pushed downward. This also means the thumbis, in the view of the pilot, on “top” of the collective lever (1).Buttons on the control system (3) located at the terminal end of thecollective lever (1) are also generally positioned on a box or similarstructure extending from the end of the collective lever (1) and thecontrols are also generally arranged on the top of the control system(3) to be readily accessible by the thumb as shown in, for example, FIG.1.

It should first be recognized that the types of controls that are to beincluded on a collective control system or positioned on the collectivelever (1) in any way can be highly varied and with a large variety ofdifferent function depending on the model of rotorcraft and the purposeto which that rotorcraft is being used. For example, military combatrotorcraft will generally have different controls on the collectivecontrol system than heavy lift rotorcraft or recreational sportrotorcraft. However, even within these differences some controls mayremain the same. For example, many control systems include a toggle orsimilar control for a landing light located on the collective controlsystem.

Further, the types of controls a pilot will be provided to manipulatewill often depend on the type and use of the rotorcraft as well as thecurrent cockpit technology in use. For example, an older or more simplerotorcraft may need more controls in the form of toggle switches, pushbuttons, or mechanical slides with distinct internal positions andcorresponding function. Other rotorcraft may require more moderncontrols such as multi-position toggles, wheels or rotating spheres(e.g. a “mouse wheel”), or floating multi-position plates (such as thatused on an original Ipod™, for example). Still more modern rotorcraftcontrols can utilize touch pads, motion or thermal sensors, orlight-based switches for example.

The present disclosure is not directed to the types of controlspresented on the control system. It is instead directed to the structureof the control system and the positioning of such controls on itsstructure. For this reason, this disclosure will commonly refer to theitems manipulated by the user on the control system simply as “controls”or “buttons” even though a “button” as indicated herein may actuallyrefer to a sophisticated touchscreen with a large number of potentialinput positions. This use of this simplified terminology is done solelyfor clarity of explanation of the concepts of the control system andshould in no way be taken as limiting of this disclosure. Thus, the factthat certain types of controls are depicted in certain positions inFIGS. 2-36 should, in no way, be taken to limit the types of controlswhich may be located at any particular position.

FIGS. 2-8 show a first embodiment of a control system (101) inaccordance with the present disclosure while FIGS. 15-21 show a secondembodiment of a control system (1101), FIGS. 22-29 a third embodiment ofa control system (2101), and FIGS. 30-36 a fourth embodiment of acontrol system (4101). As should be apparent, the control system (101)of FIGS. 2-8 is designed to attach at the end of the collective lever(1) generally in front of the throttle grip (5), should a throttle grip(5) even be present. The depicted control systems (101), (1101), (2101),or (3101) are generally attached in the loose form of a ball terminatoron a shaft. That is, the main body (103) of the control system (101)will generally extend outward from the shaft of the collective lever (1)in all directions as shown in FIGS. 2-8. Thus, the control system (101)forms a bulbous end on the collective lever (1). This is also the casewith control system (1101), control system (2101), and control system(3101) which attach in similar fashion to control system (101) to thecollective lever (1).

As can be seen in FIGS. 2-8, the main body (103) of the control system(101) will typically have a generally planar lower surface (105) towhich the end of the collective lever (1) is attached. This willtypically be through the use of a mounting plate (151) and screws (153)although any method of generally rigid attachment may be used. Theplanar lower surface (105) is typically arranged at an acute angle (201)(at the top) of generally about 45 degrees to the main axis of thecollective lever (1) as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The angle (201),however, need not be an acute angle at all and the planar lower surface(105) may be arranged at any angle between 0 and 180 degrees. In anembodiment, the generally planar lower surface (105) is arranged atgenerally a 90 degree angle which would render the generally planarlower surface (105) generally perpendicular to the axis of thecollective lever (1). Again, the other control system embodiments(1101), (2101), and (3101) also will generally attach in a similarfashion via their associated generally planar lower surface (1105),(2105), and (3105) respectively.

The control systems (101), (1101), (2101), and (3101) generally comprisea main body (103). (1103), (2103), and (3103) which are of a generallythree-dimensional bulbous form. As discussed above, with generallyplanar lower surfaces (105), (1105), (2105), and (3105), the uppersurfaces (106), (1106), (2106), and (3106) will usually have a generallyconvex shape extending away from the planar lower surface (105), 1105),(2105), or (2105) respectively. In effect, the closest traditionalmathematical structure to the control system could be considered ahemisphere, but, as can be seen in the FIGS., in none of the fourembodiments is the upper surface (106), (1106), (2106), or (3106) atypical smooth curve, but they all generally include multipleinteracting arcs and curves to provide a bulbous shape.

The convex upper surfaces (106), (1106), (2106), and (3106) of the mainbodies (103), (1103), (2103), and (3103) are generally not a smooth arcacross their entire surface, but comprise a series of multipleinteracting arcs of a variety of contours and shapes. The specificcontours and shapes differ across the different depicted embodiments andthe depicted embodiments do not provide for all possible contours andshapes, but they are considered exemplary. As should be apparent fromthe FIGS., the non-planar upper surfaces (106), (1106), (2106), and(3106) of the control systems (101), (1101), (2101), and (3101) aretypically an arcuate or generally non-regularly undulating convex shape.As part of the undulation, it is, therefore, possible, that a portion ofthe upper surface (106), (1106), (2106), or (3106) would actually beconcave. For example, the embodiment of FIGS. 22-29 has such a section(2501). However, as should be clear, the resultant structure of theupper surface (2106) is still generally convex.

Further, as should also be clear, the upper surface (106), (1106),(2106), and (3106) typically also are considered herein to include the“sides” of the main body (103), (1103), (2103), and (3103). In the firstembodiment this would be the general areas (111), (113), (115), and(117) as best seen in FIG. 7 as the sides (111), (113), (115), and (117)freely flow into the top (119) in that embodiment. It should be apparentthat the other embodiments also will generally include sides as part ofthe upper surface (1106), (2106), and (3106) in similar fashion. As canbe best seen in FIG. 20, the sides (1111), (1113), (1115), and (1117)freely flow into the top (1119) in the second embodiment. As can be bestseen in FIG. 28, the sides (2111), (2113), (2115), and (2117) freelyflow into the top (2119) in the third embodiment. Finally, as can bebest seen in FIG. 35 the sides (3111), (3113), (3115), and (3117) freelyflow into the top (3119) in the fourth embodiment.

Part of the reason for the variation in the upper surfaces (106).(1106), (2106), and (3106) both between and within embodiments is thatwhile the convex second surface can have a variety of specific shapes,the shapes are generally designed to at least partially conform to theposition of a human hand in a generally open spherical grip. A sphericalgrip is the grip used to grasp a ball, as opposed to a cylinder, andinstead of the joints of the fingers generally being aligned with eachother and adjacent as in a cylindrical grip, the fingers are commonlyspread out and while the specific bend of each finger may be similar ornot, the major joints are generally not aligned but are positioned on asimple or even complex curve. A spherical grip is often more akin topresenting the hand as a talon or claw type arrangement as opposed to acylindrical grip where the hand essentially forms a tube. The thumb isalso not positioned to form a circle with the index/middle finger but isextended more to the side of the palm.

In the present device, the spherical grip used is typically a more openspherical grip. That is, the fingers will typically be spread and notalong a smooth curve. As is common in a spherical grip, the thumb isalso not placed under the palm and touching one of the other fingers,but is designed to be positioned more to the side of the hand. Thecontrol systems (101), (1101), (2101), and (3101) upper surfaces (106),(1106), (2106), and (3106) are therefore designed to present convexupper surfaces (106), (1106), (2106), and (3106) which are about aslarge as a standard human hand or slightly larger so the fingersgenerally cannot wrap around the convex upper surface (106), (1106),(2106), and (3106) to contact the planar lower surface (105), (1105),(2105), or (3105) respectively. It should be recognized, however, thatsimple variation in hand size between pilots will mean that any pilotinteracting with the control system (101), (1101), (2101), or (3101)will likely have a slightly different resulting hand grip position thanany other.

While the embodiments as discussed above share a number of commonfeatures, they are also relatively different in their shape andorientation. This disclosure, will therefore discuss the specific shapesof the various embodiments. As can be best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 thefirst embodiment provides that the horizontal cross section of the mainbody (103) will typically have a loosely square or “squircle” (squarewith rounded corners) shape. The main body (103) in the cross section ofthe embodiment of FIGS. 2-8 also includes an extended corner (121) asbest seen in FIG. 8. The second embodiment of FIGS. 15-21 has anessentially identical shape to main body (1103) as can be best seen inFIGS. 20-21.

The extended corner (121) and (1121) is present in the embodiments ofFIGS. 2-8 and FIGS. 15-21 to act as a support for the horn portion (301)or (1301) of the system (101) or (1101). In both embodiments, the hornportion (301) or (1301) comprises an extension portion (303) or (1303)and a larger support portion (305) of (1305) arranged at the top. Thehorn portions (301) and (1301) are, thus, generally in the shape ofbulbous mushrooms and can be considered generally mushroom-shaped orumbrella-shaped. However, as can be seen in FIGS. 2-8 and 15-21, the“cap” of the mushroom or canopy of the umbrella is not of regular shape,however it may be in alternative embodiments.

As can be best seen in FIG. 7, the first embodiment of the horn portion(301) in horizontal cross section provides a support portion (305) orcap of the mushroom that is of loosely acute trapezoid or trapeziumshape but this is by no means required. This results in the supportportion (305) having a generally non-conical frustum shape. The shape ofthe support portion (305), like the main body portion (103), istypically selected to provide for mounting positions for controls andtherefore the nature of the control and how the fingers or thumb willinteract with it will typically dictate the specific shape of thesupport portion (305). In the second embodiment, the horn portion (1301)is of similar shape, but has a clear extension (1302) which is generallyin the form of a cylinder extending therefrom.

Turning to the third embodiment of FIGS. 22-29 it should be apparentthat this structure is a little different from the prior twoembodiments, but still holds the same basic shape and arrangement with amain body (2103) and attached horn portion (2301). Most notably, thethird embodiment does not utilize a separated horn portion having theloose “mushroom” shape of the first and second embodiments, instead theextension portion (3303) and support portion (2305) are moreinterconnected and of similar size so as to present a horn portion(2301) more free flowing from the main body (2103). This provides astructure with the two portions (main body (2103) and horn portion(2301)) appearing more integral. The third embodiment, therefore, has ashape which is loosely more monolithic in appearance than the first andsecond embodiments as the horn portion (2301) appears more directlyflowing from the main body (2103) than the horn portion (301) appears tobe relative the main body (103).

In the third embodiment (FIGS. 22-29), the horizontal cross section ofthe main body (2103) will typically have a loosely rectangular or otherquadrilateral shape and while it can have rounded corners, will commonlybe less square than the main body (103) of the first embodiment and willlack the extended corner (121) as, in many respects, the whole side(2117) extends. It should be noted that, as can be best seen in FIG. 25,the main body (2103) need not extend fully at the base (2105) providingan overhang (2104) depending on exactly where the main body (2103) isindicated to end and the horn portion (2301) is considered to start. Dueto the more flowing nature of the third embodiment, a specific line ofdemarcation between the main body (2103) and horn portion (2301) iseffectively not possible.

The third embodiment is generally more saddle-shaped than the first orsecond embodiment including the depression (2501) which will generallyassist with keeping the hand from sliding off the main body (2103) asthe hand positioned on the third embodiment will often be tilted withthe palm more the right and less directed downward than it was for thefirst or second embodiment. It should also be apparent that while hornportion (2301) does not include a clear extension portion (303) andsupport portion (305), some of the controls (107) are still positionedin a manner on the horn portion (2301) which allows for thumb movementbetween different sets of controls (107) as contemplated later in thisdocument. Thus, some controls (107) are positioned lower on the side(117) while one exemplary control (107A) is positioned higher in thedepicted embodiment. This later control (107A) is effectively positionedon the “support portion” of the horn portion (2301) while such elementis not really distinct In this embodiment.

The fourth embodiment is essentially a variation on the third embodimentand shows an even more integrated horn portion (3301). In the fourthembodiment, the horizontal cross section of the main body (3103) againhas a loosely rectangular or other quadrilateral shape and while it canhave rounded corners, will commonly be less square than the main body(103) of the first embodiment and will lack the extended corner (121).As opposed to the third embodiment, the fourth embodiment does notinclude a clearly distinct elongated horn portion (2301) as the hornportion (3301) of the fourth embodiment is effectively formed by simplyextending the structure around the side (3117) to give it a somewhatbulbous appearance. The side (3117) is, thus, effectively a littlelarger than the side (3113) giving the main body (3103) an asymmetricalappearance from the front as can be seen best in FIG. 36. This providesfor a much more parallelepiped appearing shape from the front as opposedto the other three embodiments which provide for a more distinct hornportion (301), (1301), or (2301). It should also be apparent that, likein the third embodiment, while a separated support portion is notformally included in the fourth embodiment, some of the controls (107B)are positioned higher on the side (3117) and in a manner which allowsfor thumb movement between different sets of controls (107) as some arepositioned lower on the side (3117). Thus, at least one control (107B)is positioned higher relative the other controls (107) and iseffectively positioned on the support portion (3305). Further, there isprovided a blank area (3118) where the thumb can be rested without beingin contact with any control (107).

Regardless of the embodiment of control system (101), (1101), (2101), or(3101), the purpose is generally to provide for comfortable positioningof the hand on the main body (103), (1103), (2103), or (3103) and toprovide for the fingers and/or thumb to have easy access to controls(107). The controls (107) are universally labeled both within eachembodiment and across the embodiments since, as discussed above, thecontrols (107) are essentially interchangeable as a matter of designchoice. One of the aspects of the various embodiments of control systems(101), (1101), (2101), and (3101) is also that the controls (107) arestill primarily activated by the thumb, thus, the thumb is expected tomove both on and off controls (107) and between different controls (107)while each finger will commonly only move on or off a single control(107).

As can be best seen in FIGS. 2-3, there are positions for multiplecontrols (107) to be positioned on the convex upper surface (106) of themain body (103) of the first embodiment generally on the front (115) andright (117) sides. These positions will generally correspond to theappropriate positions of the finger (403), (405), (407) and (409) tipsand thumb (401) respectively when the palm is placed on the top (119) ofthe convex upper surface (106) from the backside (111). The extensionportion (303) of the horn portion (301) is then generally placed at ornear the web of skin (411) connecting the thumb (401) to the indexfinger (403). The second embodiment of the control system (1101) wouldgenerally have a near identical positioning of controls (107).

The third and fourth embodiments of the control system (2101) and (3101)will generally utilize a similar positioning of controls (107) with anumber of controls (107) located on the front surfaces (2115) and (3115)for manipulation by the fingers and a selection of controls (107)located on the right side (2117) and (3117) for manipulation by thethumb. However, as the control systems (2101) and (3101) lack thedistinct horn portion (117) and (117) of the first two embodiments, thehorn portion (2117), and (3117) of these later embodiments are not asclearly within the web between the thumb and fingers. Instead, the hornportion (2117) and (3117) more provide a logical rest for the webportion of the hand. Further, on the horn portions (2117) and (3117) ofthe later embodiments, many of the controls (107) are still generallyaccessible for use by the thumb.

Regardless of the embodiment, manipulation and use of the controls (107)on the various embodiments of control system (101), (1101), (2101) and(3101) will usually be similar. To illustrate hand positioning, FIGS.9-14 show hand positions which can be used to grip the control system(101). The first embodiment of control system (101) is used in theseFIGS. to illustrate exemplary hand positions across embodiments as thefirst and second embodiments are generally seen as a little morecomplicated to hold (with the third and fourth having a simpler griparrangement).

As the collective lever is generally to the left of the pilot, the humanhand depicted in FIGS. 9-14 is the left hand. One of ordinary skill inthe art would recognize that if the control system (101) was to be usedby the right hand, a mirror image design of FIGS. 2-8 could be used.

FIGS. 9-14 also illustrate how the thumb (401) and/or fingers (403),(405), (407), and (409) can be moved around to manipulate differentcontrols (107) or place the fingers off of controls (107) without thegenerally spherical grip the hand (400) has on the control system (101)being released. The ability to manipulate the controls allows for thepilot to manipulate the controls (107) with not just their thumb (401),but also their other fingers (403), (405), (407) and (409) withoutreleasing their grip and, thus, the control system provides for mucheasier manipulation of controls (107) as well as the ability to providefor more controls (107) and more controls to be manipulated closetogether or simultaneously that control systems such as that shown inFIG. 1.

It should also be clear that even though the pilot is grasping thecontrol system (101) as shown in FIGS. 9-14, because of the attachmentposition of the control system (101) to the collective lever (1), thepilot can still manipulate the collective lever (1) of the rotorcraftwithout removing their hand (400) from the control system (101).Specifically, as the user has a grip on the control system and based onthe position of the control system, the pilot pulling on the controlsystem (101) will cause the collective lever (1) to move upward.Similarly, pushing on the control system (101) will cause the collectivelever (1) to move downward. In the depicted embodiment, the positioningof the horn further enhances the movement as the web (411) serves topush against the extension portion (303) to provide additional transferof force.

In addition to providing for the support portion (305) upon which tomount additional controls (107), the horn (301) also provides anadditional benefit. Should the pilot be gripping the main body (103) ofthe control system (101) as shown in FIGS. 9-14 but suddenly need tomake a large change to the collective lever (1), the horn (301) providesan additional point to grasp. The pilot, instead of needing to removetheir hand from the main body (103) and go around the main body (103) tograsp the collective lever (1) directly (although they can still dothat) they can release the main body (103) and wrap their hand aroundthe horn (301). As the support portion (305) is typically much smallerthan the main body (103) this allows for the user to wrap their fingersunder the support portion (305) and provide more of a cylindrical grip.It should be noted that the cylindrical grip of the horn portion (301)is also more with the finger facing forward of the pilot as opposed totoward the left as is the case when the cylinder lever (1) is grippeddirectly.

As the horn portion (301) effectively is beyond the terminal end (15) ofthe collective lever (1), such a grip actually provides improvedleverage to manipulate the collective lever (1) quickly over a largerdistance in either direction. Further, as the pilot has a morecylindrical or power grip about the horn portion (301) this can givethem the ability to more easily transfer increased force to thecollective lever (1) than when the hand (400) is placed on the main body(103). Further, as more modern rotorcraft do not require manipulation ofthe throttle (5) with the collective lever (1), the pilot has no need tograsp the throttle (5) to adjust the collective lever (1).

The qualifier “generally,” and similar qualifiers as used in the presentcase, would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art toaccommodate recognizable attempts to conform a device to the qualifiedterm, which may nevertheless fall short of doing so. This is becauseterms such as “planar” are purely geometric constructs and no real-worldcomponent is a true “plane” in the geometric sense. Variations fromgeometric and mathematical descriptions are unavoidable due to, amongother things, manufacturing tolerances resulting in shape variations,defects and imperfections, non-uniform thermal expansion, and naturalwear. Moreover, there exists for every object a level of magnificationat which geometric and mathematical descriptors fail due to the natureof matter. One of ordinary skill would thus understand the term“generally” and relationships contemplated herein regardless of theinclusion of such qualifiers to include a range of variations from theliteral geometric meaning of the term in view of these and otherconsiderations.

While the invention has been disclosed in conjunction with a descriptionof certain embodiments, including those that are currently believed tobe the preferred embodiments, the detailed description is intended to beillustrative and should not be understood to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art, embodiments other than those described in detail herein areencompassed by the present invention. Modifications and variations ofthe described embodiments may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

It will further be understood that any of the ranges, values,properties, or characteristics given for any single component of thepresent disclosure can be used interchangeably with any ranges, values,properties, or characteristics given for any of the other components ofthe disclosure, where compatible, to form an embodiment having definedvalues for each of the components, as given herein throughout. Further,ranges provided for a genus or a category can also be applied to specieswithin the genus or members of the category unless otherwise noted.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A control system for attachment to thecollective lever of a rotorcraft, the control system comprising: agenerally planar lower surface for attachment to an end of a collectivelever; a main body having a generally convex form; a horn portionextending from a side of said main body and overhanging said main body;and a plurality of controls, wherein a first control in said pluralityof controls is arranged on said main body and a second control in saidplurality of controls is arranged on said horn portion; wherein, saidcontrol system is configured to be grasped in an open spherical grip bya human hand with the fingers of said human hand on said main body andthe thumb of said human hand on said horn portion; and wherein saidcontrol system is configured for said human hand grasping said controlsystem to move said collective lever without removing said fingers ofsaid human hand from said main body and said thumb of said human handfrom said horn portion.
 2. The control system of claim 1 wherein saidmain body is generally squircle in cross section.
 3. The control systemof claim 1 wherein said main body is generally rectilinear in crosssection.
 4. The control system of claim 1 wherein said horn portion isan extension of said main body.
 5. The control system of claim 1 whereinwhen said human hand grasps said control system at least one of saidfingers of said human hand is positioned on said first control and saidthumb of said human hand is positioned on said second control.
 6. Thecontrol system of claim 5 wherein said thumb of said human hand may bemoved from said horn portion to operate an additional control on saidmain body.
 7. A collective lever and control system of a rotorcraftcomprising: a collective lever having two opposing ends; a controlsystem attached to one of said two opposing ends of said collectivelever, said control system comprising: a main body having a generallyconvex form; a horn portion extending from a side of said main body andoverhanging said main body; and a plurality of controls, wherein a firstcontrol in said plurality is arranged on said main body and a secondcontrol in said plurality is arranged on said horn portion; wherein,said control system is configured to be grasped in an open sphericalgrip by a human hand with the fingers of said human hand on said mainbody and the thumb of said human hand on said horn portion; and whereinsaid human hand grasping said control system moves said collective leverwithout removing said fingers of said human hand from said main body andsaid thumb of said human hand from said horn portion.
 8. The controlsystem of claim 7 wherein said main body is generally squircle in crosssection.
 9. The control system of claim 7 wherein said main body isgenerally rectilinear in cross section.
 10. The control system of claim7 wherein said horn portion is an extension of said main body.
 11. Thecontrol system of claim 7 wherein when said human hand grasps saidcontrol system at least one of said fingers of said human hand ispositioned on said first control and said thumb of said human hand ispositioned on said second control.
 12. The control system of claim 11wherein said thumb of said human hand may be moved from said hornportion to operate an additional control on said main body.
 13. A methodof operating a collective lever and control system of a rotorcraftcomprising: providing a collective lever having two opposing ends;providing a control system attached to one of said two opposing ends ofsaid collective lever, said control system comprising: a main bodyhaving a generally convex form; a horn portion extending from a side ofsaid main body and overhanging said main body; and a plurality ofcontrols, wherein a first control in said plurality is arranged on saidmain body and a second control in said plurality is arranged on saidhorn portion; grasping said control system so that fingers are on saidmain body and a thumb on said horn portion; pulling said collectivelever without removing said fingers from said main body; moving saidthumb from said horn portion to said main body; and operating saidplurality of controls with at least one of said fingers and said thumbwithout removing said fingers from said main body.
 14. The method ofclaim 13 wherein said main body is generally squircle in cross section.15. The method of claim 13 wherein said main body is generallyrectilinear in cross section.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein saidhorn portion is an extension of said main body.
 17. The method of claim13 wherein at least one of said fingers operates said first control andsaid thumb operates said second control.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein moving said thumb from said horn portion to said main bodyincludes said thumb operating an additional control on said main body.